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Vianna Roman is charged, along with 28 others, with a variety of crimes related to activities of the Harpys street gang in South L.A., reputedly run by her father from prison. When her father was convicted of the murder of a rival gang member and sentenced to life in prison without parole almost three decades ago, Vianna Roman was a 9-year-old girl . In the years since, Danny Roman , federal authorities say, has become a feared member of the Mexican Mafia prison gang . He allegedly controlled a 30-square-mile expanse of gang territory in South L.A. from behind bars in Pelican Bay State Prison . Doing his bidding from 700 miles away — passing down his orders of violence , collecting " taxes " from businesses and other gang members at his behest — was his daughter , federal prosecutors alleged Thursday. Vianna , now 37, a mother and operator of a meat market and water store, was among 18 arrested as part of a sweeping federal take-down of members o...

A 39-year-old man in an out-of-state prison directed a crime ring in Ventura County that forced competing gangs to work together and funneled money back to the Mexican Mafia prison gang, authorities said Tuesday. Martin Madrigal was among 27 people, including two teens, who were indicted and accused of crimes such as conspiring to commit assault, extortion, home invasion , robbery and drug trafficking , Ventura County sheriff's and district attorney's officials said at a news conference. All but two have been arrested, and at least 16 more are expected to be indicted, officials said. The suspects are largely members of local gangs who worked with the Mexican Mafia , authorities said. "These are hard-core criminal gang members. They wake up every day and try to decide where they're going to commit crimes ," Sheriff Geoff Dean said at the news conference. Authorities have seized 32 weapons , $36,000 in cash and a quarter-pound of heroin, off...